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Does Bill Blair want to remain police chief?

Blair will tell the Toronto Police Services Board on Friday whether he wants to stay.

Toronto's police chief is promising a report into the service's use of force will be acted upon swiftly. The probe by former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci was sparked by the killing of Sammy Yatim last summer.(CP)

Chief Bill Blair is supposed to tell the Toronto Police Services Board on Friday whether he wants to continue to run Canada’s largest municipal police force.

The seven-member civilian oversight body, which will put the decision to a vote, has 30 days to advise Blair whether it wishes to renew his appointment.

“The board will not be releasing any additional information,” police board chair Alok Mukherjee wrote in email.

Blair has repeatedly said he considers his future with the force to be between himself and the board — though it’s widely expected he will ask to stay on after a decade at the helm of the 8,000-member force.

The Scarborough native, who recently turned 60, was sworn in as chief on April 26, 2005.

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In 2009, the board voted unanimously to extend his contract for a second term, which expires at the end of April 2015. But things have shifted and it’s no longer clear if Blair has the majority of votes. The looming Oct. 27 municipal election is another interesting dynamic.

Chief Bill Blair must tell Toronto's police services board whether or not he wants to extend his contract beyond April 2015. (BERNARD WEIL / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

Consider:

Councillor and board vice-chair Michael Thompson got into hot water after telling the Star he wouldn’t support Blair’s contract extension. The matter was settled and Thompson dropped his legal action, but he refused to say whether he had changed his mind about Blair.

Blair took a well-publicized fishing trip with board member Andrew Pringle. Pringle was John Tory’s chief of staff when he was the Conservatice leader at Queen’s Park. Tory, who is running for mayor, supports Blair and there’s little doubt where Pringle would side.

Is Mike Del Grande feeling warm and fuzzy about Blair after the chief ordered an investigation into the councillor’s public denunciation of paid-duty officers? His vote is a maybe.

Also uncertain is Mukherjee, appointed to his job the same year Blair became chief. There have been signs of strain between the two.

Provincial appointees Dr. Dhun Noria and lawyer Marie Moliner are considered Blair backers. Premier Kathleen Wynne said Thursday she supports Blair, but his fate lies with the board.

Councillor remains loyal to Mayor , who was most unhappy about the police investigation into his affairs and Blair’s comments about the crack video. Would she vote against Blair to keep her ally happy?

Approaching his 39th year in policing, Blair, a married father of three, earned $337,653 in salary and benefits last year. He began his policing career in November 1976, as a 22-year-old constable on foot patrol in Regent Park.

Sworn in as Toronto’s youngest police chief under Mayor David Miller, Blair is credited with modernizing the force and building stronger relationships with the city’s diverse communities.

Critics have knocked Blair for not adequately responding to concerns about strip searches and racial profiling. He also faced fierce criticism over how police dealt with law-abiding protesters during the G20 summit in June 2010.

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